Women Love Heels, But Have You Considered How Dangerous They May Be?

Our topics for this Sunday may sound awkward especially with the fact that it is coming from an opposite gender. But, come to think of it, we must discuss it and say it like it is, right? Well, this article was culled from a little research on healthy bones conducted by scientists.

As a man, I have always been in love with the sight of women on heels, generally because it makes them look sexy and smart; call it what you like, we are all entitled to our opinions.

Lets go back to our topic. From a medical point of view this time, if you ask an orthopaedic doctor, they’ll tell you to ditch the high heel obsession if you want to preserve the health of your feet. But this is a difficult assignment to give a 21st century lady, as many would shush you up immediately you raise the topic.

Blistered heels and the minor embarrassment of carrying a dangling pair of stiletto’s, barefoot, out of the office, club, wedding ceremonies, parties etc is generally a small price to pay for women who want to look sexy and smart these days.

However, there is a lot beneath the human skin surface we don’t see. Entire muscle groups, bundles of tendons, and our very bones are put at risk, when we wear heels too often.

Let’s consider a 2012 study that found even amongst women in their 20’s, that high heels had already changed their posture and mode of walking, even when they weren’t wearing heels.

More so, the study showed frequent heel-wearers had shorter calf muscles compared to the control group, who rarely wore heels, putting stress on the muscles with each step they took.
Since tendon movement allows for more efficient walking, over the long haul, heel-wearers may experience greater muscle fatigue.

But that’s not all. High heels drastically alter the wearer’s posture, displaces the foot and ankle bones, strains the knee joint, and tightens the surrounding tendons. They can lead to osteoarthritis and hammertoe, due to many shoes’ narrow toe box.

Of course, all that may really not matter to you, if dressing to impress is worth a few hours of agony, knowing fully well, bones that weren’t well taken care of, often come back in old age to give silly problems.

Oh! on the night of a big occasion, who has the time or energy to think about future bone health? The diagram should explain better.

Well, I’d advice when next you go shopping, try considering low-heeled shoes, as these may be very handy in future.

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Valentine Chinyem is a writer, editor, educationist and a human developer. He is passionate about Nigeria, her culture and people; and believes the media in Nigeria, should do more to sell the country positively to the rest of the world